Breakfast, sleep and physical activity, how to better cope with stress

Do you feel overwhelmed by stress or have a hard time adjusting when things go wrong? Daily habits, like eating a nutritious breakfast, getting regular physical activity, and getting enough sleep, can play an important role in how your mind copes with difficult situations.

A new study from Binghamton University suggests that these healthy routines are linked to a mental skill called psychological flexibility, which helps people adapt to challenges and recover from stressful experiences.

Psychological flexibility refers to the ability to adapt your thoughts, emotions, and actions as circumstances change. Rather than getting stuck in negative thoughts or overwhelmed by frustration, people with greater psychological flexibility can recognize their emotions, consider the options available to them, and respond in a more productive way.

"You may know someone who remains calm under pressure ," said Lina Begdache, associate professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University and lead author of the study. " A person who misses a flight and, instead of panicking, calmly adapts to the situation. This person may still feel stressed, but is better able to manage stress thanks to psychological flexibility."

"People might say these are resilient people, but they also have what's called psychological flexibility. They're able to change the way they think about a situation and then use their brain resources to cope with stress."

How breakfast, sleep and exercise are related to mental resilience

To examine the relationship between lifestyle choices and emotional resilience, Begdache collaborated with Jason Cherry, former assistant professor of physical therapy at Binghamton University, and former student Alexander J. Talkachov.

The researchers collected anonymous questionnaire responses from about 400 university students, obtaining information about diet, sleep patterns, exercise habits and other lifestyle factors.

Their findings revealed a significant link between healthy routines and the ability to cope with stress. Students who reported healthier habits, including regular physical activity and eating breakfast, also tended to exhibit greater psychological flexibility and resilience.

The study identified several important connections:

Eating breakfast regularly: Eating breakfast at least five times a week was associated with greater resilience, with psychological flexibility helping to explain this relationship.

Sufficient sleep: Students who slept less than six hours, in general, reported lower levels of both resilience and psychological flexibility.

Physical activity: Physical exercise lasting 20 minutes or more was associated with greater psychological flexibility and better ability to cope with stress.

Taking fish oil: Taking fish oil several times a week was associated with better psychological flexibility.

The opposite pattern was also observed. Students who reported less healthy behaviors, including frequent fast food consumption and insufficient sleep, tended to exhibit greater psychological rigidity, meaning they had a harder time adapting their thoughts and behaviors when circumstances changed.

Since the study relied on questionnaire responses, the results show a correlation but do not prove that these habits directly improve psychological flexibility or resilience.

Why psychological flexibility is important for coping with stress

According to Begdache, psychological flexibility gives people the mental space they need to understand what they are experiencing, rather than being completely consumed by stress. This ability to reassess a situation can make it easier to understand difficult emotions and determine how to respond.

She explained that improvements in nutrition and lifestyle can help support this ability to adapt mentally.

"When we're under stress, we feel like we're merging with it. We experience stress at every moment. But psychological flexibility is like taking a step back and thinking: 'I feel this way because of what happened. What can I do?' Identifying emotions sometimes helps you find solutions to them," Begdache said.

The findings also support Begdache's previous research, which linked healthy eating to greater resilience and poor eating habits to lower resilience.

The latest study offers a possible explanation for this relationship. Rather than just affecting resilience, diet and lifestyle may support psychological flexibility, which, in turn, helps people manage stress more effectively.

"The new finding here is that diet and lifestyle don't make you resilient on their own. They help you develop psychological flexibility, which, in turn, makes you a more resilient person." / ScienceDaily